well first of all. i seem to have a lot of problems with coming up with sentences or forming sentences in general. for example when i’m talking to americans or whatever i usually don’t really know what to say. but i fully understand them!! and when i’m about to say something. it’s almost as if i didn’t know any words… like. i don’t know any other english words other than the basic stuff. how can i improve?? please help me. thank you
Put yourself in positions in which you have to speak English a lot. Do you live in an English speaking country? If so, then go to social events. No? Go to events in which speaking English is the point (like language cafes, etc.)
And please use capitalization when writing :)
the capitalization thing is on purpose. i’m so sorry!! i don’t capitalize words or use commas. it’s how i type
When learning another language, it’s really normal for your comprehension to be way better than your production. Input > output. Just keep talking to people and consuming English media and it will come to you. The more you increase your input, the more fluently and naturally you’ll speak – it won’t sound like you’re speaking from a textbook.
Like you I also struggle with vocab though. What I like to do for focused study is watch a show or some piece of media and pick out some words I want to learn in context and make flashcards from them.
I learnt english by reading books. That might help, although reading can be quite a passive activity, so you might want to couple it with some writing activities to make sure you’re actually doing something so it sticks better. I’m also not sure how well that will work for your specific problem of struggling with conversations, but tbh I’m not great at speaking to people irl myself (although that applies in my first two languages—english is my third—as well so I don’t think it’s a language barrier thing so much as my brain thing) so I dunno what would help with that specifically.
A friend of mine who was learning English said that translating song lyrics from her native language into English really helped, 'cause you have to kind of get the meaning across and not just a literal translation of the words. Dunno if it works for everyone but she swore by it!
That requires you to interact with music in your native language which for people from most countries would be rather unpleasant
My Spanish and especially my French are like 1000% better if I have had a little alcohol to drink. It’s not an awesome tool and I don’t use it anymore, but it definitely helps build confidence that I kept after drinking.
Eh. This is stupid don’t do this.
Looking at your responses it seems that you have a good grasp on the english language. Which is good! It means you have all the tools available to you when making conversation. You probably just need more practice. Conversations in non-native languages can be difficult, because you have to come up with an answer on the spot. It’s not impossible, though. You’ll probably stumble for words and make mistakes at first, but that’s perfectly normal and okay.
tl;dr: talk more. Good luck!
I may not have a big tip, but here’s what I’ve done when learning other languages…
I listen to people speaking and try to repeat it to myself. If I can hear it in my head, it will sound normal. So when I need to, I can remember how it sounded in my head, and decide if it will sound good in the Curr context.
I am in a similar situation here. If you ask me, if your communication follows all the hard rules such as the wording order follows consistency and if what you say adds up, that’s what matters. Other than that, just try to improve as you go along. Talking to an AI (or me) might help.
You looking for someone to talk with?
In a sense, yes.
You need to find people at your level or a bit highter or using chatgpt with voice
Have you read proper English literature?
yes!!
As had been said - practice. It’s how native speakers of a language get good at it.
You can improve your vocabulary, comprehension and accent by watching TV shows and movies (I remember meeting Dutch kids on holiday who I thought were American as they learn so much from the screen), and grammar and the like can come from reading. However, that ease of conversation and the speed of your recall of words just comes from talking a lot. Try finding an intermediate to advanced language class where they insist on people talking in that language all the time.
Sounds like you just need to practice. Maybe find a friend who can video call you a few times a week just to chat until you’re feeling confident?
yes most likely. thank you!! i also need to read more to expand my vocabulary
your vocabulary is fine. your active vocabulary needs to grow. that’s why you can passively understand most of what you read and hear. your production of the language is what you need to improve.
that’s practice. Speak as much as you can.
I teach English as a foreign language and if any of my students wrote the same way you do I’d cry with joy. You have no problems with accuracy but if you’re having trouble speaking then it’s fluency you need a hand with. Conversation classes would be a good place to start or as someone mentioned just chatting to someone over the phone or zoom.
Also if you really want to expand your vocabulary, try learning lists of phrasal verbs. Even my most advanced students find them difficult, but native speakers use them all the time so it helps with understanding and will make your English sound more natural.
noooo i don’t have a problem with fluency. i just don’t know what to say!! when i think of words in my mind. i have no idea how to say them. i don’t know of any cool or good phrases in english and when i read in english. i usually struggle with reading some words and i end up reading something else entirely. hmmmm… and thank you so much for that
I don’t know what language you natively speak, but I would love to learn! Pm me if you’re interested and we can call and just talk. That’s typically the best way to learn the finer details of a language, just speak with a native speaker regularly. As far as grammar and vocabulary, though it doesn’t always show in my comments, I’m quite adept.I also used to be a tutor for a ton of people, although I never taught anyone English, so I’m quite good at teaching and communicating as well.
thank you very much!! i speak spanish natively. and that’s really good. i hope those years of being a tutor have given you a lot of knowledge and experience!!!
If you’re the kind of person to think in words, try to practice thinking in English.
I’ll recommend you to the author Henry James. He’s a romantic, and much of his way of writing is beautifully easy to digest, with clear reason and intent behind why he writes.
He is an author who lived from 1843 to 1916, which is right around when our current English language stopped evolving so quickly. So much of what you will read from him is applicable to the English language of today (as opposed to other great authors from earlier, such as Laurence Sterne, where the language is understandable but many nuances have evolved). I suppose I should also mention John Milton and E.M. Forester as verbose but easy to understand authors.
When you’re learning, don’t be afraid to read slowly. Note the way in which articles (a, the) are used. For example, the importance of an object can be established whether it is the piece, or whether it is a piece. To this example, James Joyce has a novel, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man”. It is just a portrait, but it is of the man.
If you’re interested in videogames at all, playing some multiplayer games could help. TV/books are great too, but I think chatting online would give you a realistic dialogue to learn from, and having a common goal with the other players should give you plenty of opportunities to contribute to the dialogue.
And as a bonus, you’ll probably learn lots of creative insults haha
